SAN DIEGO (AP) - A man described by authorities as a Mexican drug kingpin who moved tons of cocaine into the United States has been sentenced to 15 years in federal prison.
The San Diego Union-Tribune (https://bit.ly/2eCIyRD ) says Victor Cazares Gastellum was sentenced Tuesday in San Diego. He pleaded guilty in June to conspiracy to import drugs and agreed to forfeit $10 million.
Authorities say Cazares headed a drug-trafficking organization aligned with the powerful Sinaloa cartel and helped move drugs from Mexico by the truckload and planeload.
He is a naturalized U.S. citizen who later moved back to Sinaloa. He was indicted in 2007 in San Diego along with 18 other people. Despite a $5 million reward, he escaped capture until his 2012 arrest near Guadalajara.
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